Tray, Issue #2 Conversations about Society matters, their consequences and their decay—until the ashtray is so full that somebody’s got to empty it.
Paris-born graphic designer and CD junior Gabriel Mester is interested in the metaphorical and symbolical potential of mediums, materials and tools—curating interactions between graphic elements and telling stories with them. “I always try to translate physicality in a design. I am passionate about designing for music (covers, fliers) and for anything that leaves the space for experimentation and deconstruction.”
Poster for “The Future”—a live electronic music and visuals showcase in Brooklyn.
Media Overexposure Following my previous exploration of silkscreened-metaphors, this project reflects on the power of media exposure through the process of printing. The election of Donald Trump as next president of the United States was a scary demonstration of the power of media. The usual dichotomy between neglecting something unapproved and actually covering it—with humor, concern or sarcasm—resulted in an empowerment that undeniably benefited Donald Trump. Every Donald Trump feature on television, radio, newspapers, social networks and website was an extra layer of paint thickening the reality of the candidate’s potential success. I printed Donald Trump’s black and white photo portrait over and over onto the same surface—this process working as a very simplified analogy for media features of him. I did so with a purposeful absence of registration that worked as a translation of the variations of points of view on the media. Layer after layer, the slight offsets created an uncanny and soon scary distortion: multiplication; deformation and exaggeration of his face features. With five layers, Donald Trump’s portraits were those of monsters, after the repetition process had visually revealed and enhanced a nature that many believe to be his.
Poster for “3 Lives On Mars”—an electronic music event in Paris featuring connected headphones allowing to switch from the sound of events happening in Buenos Aires, Johannesburg and Paris simultaneously.
